The research design for this study adopts a phenomenological approach. Phenomenology, as emphasized by Merleau-Ponty (1962), is instrumental in shaping the design of this research. It highlights the importance of understanding human experiences within their lived context, considering the world as an integrated and inseparable part of these experiences. This aligns with the essence of the phenomenological approach, which aims to explore the meaning and essence of human experiences within their natural contexts. In this study, the phenomenological lens allows for an in-depth exploration of how international students perceive and interact with the counseling services provided at the university. The focus here is on comprehending the shared experiences and perspectives of participants regarding the structural components of higher education counseling services for international students.

It is important to recognize the transparency and acknowledge the positions and backgrounds of the researchers. The researchers included an international visiting professor at a North American university during the time of the research, with a background in counseling and educational psychology, and a North American professor of counseling at the same university. Their expertise and knowledge in the field of counseling added depth and insight to the study.

The main author held no official role within the university’s counseling services or its administrative units. During this period, they had the opportunity to interact with international students through their academic role. Their unique position allowed for insights into the challenges and issues faced by international students without assuming any official authority over the participants. The co-author, a North American professor, did not provide counseling services through the university’s counseling center or any related service. Their connection to the university was purely academic, with no direct involvement in the counseling services offered. This position enabled them to contribute valuable insights into the local counseling landscape and the university’s institutional dynamics from an academic perspective.

Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that while the main author had interactions with international students through their academic role, they did not hold a position of authority or influence over the participants. The main author’s role primarily revolved around academic activities and did not involve providing counseling services or any official administrative capacity at the university. Their collaboration allowed for a comprehensive examination of the research topic, benefiting from both international and local perspectives. By combining diverse perspectives and experiences, they aimed to approach the study with cultural sensitivity and openness to different viewpoints. It is important to acknowledge that their positions as researchers did not entail any official roles within the university’s counseling services, and this was clarified to avoid potential misconceptions. They strived to maintain reflexivity and objectivity throughout the research process, recognizing the potential impact of their own backgrounds on data collection, analysis, and conclusions.

The participants of this study included 32 individuals from different departments and units within a state university located in the USA. The participants were interviewed to gather their perceptions and experiences with the counseling services provided at the university. Three participant groups were involved in this study. The first group consisted of 13 international students, comprising six undergraduates and seven graduate students, along with four local students, including two undergraduates and two graduate students. The second group comprised three unit managers responsible for counseling and psychological services, five counseling service experts, and three unit managers overseeing socio-cultural, career, academic, accessibility, and inclusive support services. Lastly, the third group included four faculty members from the departments of counseling, psychology, and sociology.

Including a diverse range of participants, such as students, staff, and faculty, was instrumental in capturing various perspectives and insights related to the phenomenon under investigation. Students’ experiences are pivotal as recipients of counseling services, providing firsthand insights into their needs and challenges. Staff members, including counselors and administrative personnel, contribute their professional expertise and insights into service delivery and operational aspects. Faculty members, on the other hand, offer an academic perspective and may provide insights into how counseling services align with the broader educational mission. By engaging participants from different roles within the university community, the study aimed to provide a holistic view of the challenges, needs, and potential improvements in higher education counseling services for international students.

Among the 13 international university students who participated in the study, there were individuals from different parts of the world, reflecting a broad range of cultural perspectives. The international student cohort included two students from India, two from Europe, one from Japan, two from the Middle East, two from South America, one from Turkey, one from China, one from Indonesia, and one from Canada. Importantly, all international students were born and raised outside of the USA, contributing unique perspectives shaped by their respective cultural contexts.

The mean age of the participants was 36.7. The departments of the students included engineering (2), nursing (1), education (4), business (1), arts (1), communication (1), physics (1), literature (1), psychology (1), political science (1), media and journalism (1), theater (1), and chemistry (1). Of the 17 students, 13 received counseling services, while four did not. Eleven international students and two local students received counseling services.

The sampling strategy for this study involved purposive and snowball sampling techniques (Creswell, 2013). Purposive sampling was utilized to select participants with direct experiences and knowledge about the counseling services offered at the university (Patton, 2015). Potential participants were initially identified based on their roles within the university’s counseling services, academic departments, and administrative units. Snowball sampling was employed to further identify participants who could provide additional insights into the experiences and perceptions of the counseling services (Biernacki & Waldorf, 1981). This inclusive approach facilitated a comprehensive examination of the perceptions of the counseling services provided by the university.

For ease of reference and tracking, each participant was assigned a label indicative of their role and a numerical identifier. For instance, “Faculty 1” represents a faculty member, “Staff 1” denotes a staff professional, and “Student 1” signifies a student participant. This labeling system was implemented to streamline the presentation of results, allowing for clear attribution of perspectives and comments to specific participant groups throughout the study.

The data collection instruments used in this research comprised semi-structured interviews tailored to each participant group. The focus of these interviews was to gather insights into the participants’ experiences and perspectives on the structural components of higher education counseling services. The interviews were thoughtfully developed by integrating the theoretical foundations and methodological frameworks presented in relevant literature. For instance, insights from the literature guided the selection of key topics to explore, such as cultural sensitivity in counseling and the integration of support services (e.g., Ching et al., 2017; Keum et al., 2022). Additionally, methodological approaches highlighted in the literature influenced the formulation of open-ended questions that encouraged participants to share their experiences, thereby enhancing the authenticity and depth of the collected data (e.g., Lipson et al., 2019; Zunker, 2016).

To ensure the credibility of the data collected through the interviews, an evaluation of the interview questions was carried out. This process involved comprehensive cross-referencing of the questions with the pertinent literature. Moreover, the questions underwent rigorous testing through pilot interviews, during which participants’ feedback played a pivotal role in refining the interview structure. These pilot participants provided valuable insights into the clarity of questions, the depth of topics covered, and the overall flow of the interviews. Their input prompted adjustments in question phrasing, consolidation, and inclusion of probing prompts. This iterative process enhanced the questions to effectively capture the nuances of participants’ experiences, bolstering the credibility and robustness of the study’s findings (Cresswell, 2013).

Furthermore, the interview questions were designed to reflect cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, recognizing participants’ diverse backgrounds. The questions encompassed cultural expectations, preferences, and intersections of identities and experiences that international students may encounter. This approach aimed to foster an environment where participants could openly share their perspectives while facilitating a comprehensive exploration of the research question.

It is important to emphasize that the interviews were not just theoretical constructs, but tangible interactions that occurred between the researcher and the participants. Through these interactions, we were able to engage with the participants’ unique perspectives, experiences, and voices. The interview schedules served as the guiding framework for these discussions. The fact that these interviews took place is crucial to understanding the firsthand accounts and reflections that were shared, allowing us to delve into the complexities of higher education counseling services for international students from multiple viewpoints.

First, permission from an institutional review board and consent from the participants were obtained. The interviews were conducted in person (n = 27) and remotely (n = 5), depending on the participant’s preference and availability. The interviews, which lasted approximately 1 h, were conducted by the primary researcher, who has a background in counseling and extensive training in qualitative research methodologies, while the second researcher conducted a subset of them to ensure that the data collection process captured diverse perspectives and reduced potential bias stemming from a single interviewer. The researcher took detailed notes during the interviews and audio-recorded all of them for later analysis. The interviews were conducted in a private setting to create a supportive environment for the participants to share their experiences freely.

After the interviews were conducted, the audio recordings were transcribed verbatim by trained transcribers to ensure accurate representation of participants’ responses. The transcriptions were then imported into qualitative data analysis software for systematic coding and analysis. Strict confidentiality measures were implemented to protect participants’ identities and ensure data security. Only the researchers had access to the raw data and personally identifiable information. All audio recordings and transcripts were securely stored on password-protected devices and cloud platforms.

The data were analyzed using thematic and inductive analysis approaches. Thematic analysis was used to identify and categorize meaningful themes and patterns within the data and allowed for the identification and categorization of recurring themes and patterns within the data, providing insight into the experiences and perspectives of the participants (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The inductive analysis facilitated a bottom-up approach to data analysis, and helped to build themes and patterns from the data, making the research more grounded in the participants’ experiences where themes and patterns were identified based on the data itself rather than pre-existing assumptions or theories (Saldaña, 2013).

In this study, two coders were involved in the data analysis process. They engaged in coding discussions and reached a consensus on the code design and selection (Saldaña, 2013). Throughout the coding process, any disagreements that arose between the coders were discussed and resolved through open dialogue and iterative refinement of the coding framework. This process involved regular meetings where the coders critically reviewed and compared their individual coding decisions to identify areas of agreement and address any discrepancies. Consensus was achieved through thorough deliberation and reaching mutual agreement on the final coding decisions (Cohen et al., 2018; Saldaña, 2013).

The first step in the data analysis was transcribing the entire audio-recorded interviews into written form. Then, the data was read multiple times to gain a general understanding of the content. This was followed by identifying initial codes and themes through open coding. The themes were then refined based on their occurrence frequency and significance to the research question (Huberman & Miles, 2002). Next, axial coding was used to link the themes and subthemes to form a coherent and comprehensive data picture. The themes were then sorted and grouped into broader categories to identify overarching patterns in the data. Finally, selective coding was used to integrate and synthesize the themes and subthemes into a meaningful and coherent representation of the data (Corbin & Strauss, 2008).

This section elaborates on the measures that were taken to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings (Huberman & Miles, 2002). First, to ensure credibility of the findings, this study employed an extended period of data collection, which allowed for the collection of rich and diverse data. Furthermore, the data collected was analyzed in depth, and the findings were cross-checked against the existing literature to ensure the credibility of the results. Second, to ensure the transferability of the findings, the study employed purposive and snowball sampling techniques to select the participants. This allowed for the collection of a diverse range of participants. Also, participants were selected from different departments and colleges, which added to the diversity of the data and the transferability of the results. Third, to ensure the dependability, the study employed a rigorous data analysis process, involving a detailed thematic and inductive analysis. The data was analyzed multiple times to ensure that the findings were consistent and robust. Furthermore, the results were cross-checked against the existing literature to ensure dependability. Finally, to ensure the findings’ consistency, the study employed multiple researchers to analyze the data, and the results were compared to ensure that the findings were consistent.